For Street Reconstruction projects, property owners will be notified at the start of construction if removal of their mailbox is necessary to complete the work. If so, the contractor will install temporary mailboxes at a location near the edge of the project area as determined by the U.S. Postal Service.

Garbage service will be maintained throughout the duration of the project. The Contractor will provide access to garbage haulers to make garbage pickups.

The City identifies streets to be improved annually in the Five Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Improvements are prioritized based on a variety of factors including age, street condition, utilities condition and functional classification. Street reconstruction and reclamation are generally chosen for streets in poor condition. Street reconstruction is generally chosen where water main is being replaced. Street rehabilitation is generally chosen for streets in moderate condition.

Property owners will receive formal notification via US Mail indicating when preliminary design work will be occurring for a given neighborhood, notice of neighborhood meetings to be held during final design and prior to construction beginning, notice of the public hearing before the City Council to approve the project, and notice of the final assessment hearing. The City will also be posting design, neighborhood meeting notification, and construction progress updates through the City’s Street Construction website (www.burnsville.org/streetrecon). Property owners, residents, or interested parties may sign up for e-mail or text message updates for each project area.

In addition to City notifications, during the construction process, the City’s contractor will distribute door flyers for construction impacts such as parking restrictions and water service interruptions during the project. Street Reconstruction & Rehabilitation website

The City strives to protect trees to the greatest extent possible on all street reconstruction and rehabilitation projects. Ash trees, trees that are within the right-of-way, trees that obstruct sight lines at intersections, and trees that overhang the roadway may require trimming or outright removal. Design staff will identify potentially problematic trees, and will work with the City Forester to determine if trimming or removal may be necessary. As part of the Neighborhood Meeting process, the City Forester will be available to meet with residents and answer specific questions about potential tree impacts.

For Street Reconstruction projects, property owners will be notified at the start of construction if removal of their mailbox is necessary to complete the work. If so, the contractor will install temporary mailboxes at a location near the edge of the project area as determined by the U.S. Postal Service.

Garbage service will be maintained throughout the duration of the project. The Contractor will provide access to garbage haulers to make garbage pickups.

Prior to construction beginning, property owners are encouraged to mark any buried items (irrigation system heads, invisible fencing, electrical wires, etc.) with flags, stakes, or other markers, as well as salvage and transplant any plants that they wish to save for reinstallation following construction. Property owners with irrigation heads next to the curb that they do not want damaged due to curb replacement activities should salvage and/or expose the irrigation components and pull them a minimum of five feet (5’) from the back of curb. Property owners will be asked to provide information to City staff about landscape elements through the Neighborhood Meeting process.

The City will repair most above-ground features impacted by construction activities (i.e., landscaping rock/edging, fencing, retaining walls, etc.) and will restore all maintained turf areas with sod (reconstruction projects) or seed (rehabilitation or reclamation projects, and projects in areas of parks and unmaintained grass areas). The City will NOT replace individual plants, shrubs, or trees that are in the right-of-way and impacted during construction activities. The City will NOT replace invisible dog fencing wires, private electrical wires, or outlet boxes, but will install plastic conduit sleeves under driveway aprons for property owners if they request for wire replacement purposes.

Starting in 2017, the City will NOT replace irrigation system components located in the street right-of-way that are damaged as part of the construction contract, but will provide reimbursement to property owners who repair their systems following construction work and submit a contractor invoice or material receipt after completing the work. The maximum reimbursement values for irrigation system components is as follows:

Special assessments are used on street and landscape improvements, and are based on the concept that individual property owners directly benefit from these types of improvements, and the value of the property adjacent to a street improvement will increase. The use of special assessments by municipalities is legislated by the State of Minnesota under State Statute 429, and provides for an equitable means to finance roadway improvements while minimizing the demand on the City’s property tax levy.

The City of Burnsville’s Special Assessment Policy provides a standard method by which assessments are calculated for street reconstruction, rehabilitation and reclamation projects from year to year. Assessments are calculated by abutting street footage and are based upon land usage. Street footage is adjusted to account for irregularities in lot sizes and shapes. For instance, residential corner lots will receive reductions in street footage to reduce the burden, while lots in cul-de-sacs will receive increases in street footage to account for irregular lot shapes.

The assessment amount for the entire current year’s street reconstruction, rehabilitation or reclamation project will be the lesser of the two scenarios below: 1) Average of the last three years of assessment rates for reconstruction or rehabilitation, or2) 40% of the current year’s project cost for street reconstruction or rehabilitation work (does not include utility work, which is not assessed)

1) February – Preliminary Report: Estimated maximum front footage assessment based on proposed improvement method, preliminary design data, and budgeted cost estimates. You will receive notice of the assessment rate, and have an opportunity to view your estimated assessment.

2) September – Final Assessment Hearing: Final assessment rate is based on actual construction costs, and may be lower than the rate proved in the Preliminary Report. The final assessment rate cannot be higher than the estimated assessment rate provided in February. Formal notices with individual property assessments are sent via U.S. Mail to each assessed property owner.

In September of the year the majority of the work occurs, the City Council holds an Assessment Hearing, where the actual assessment values are finalized and prepared to be sent and certified by the Dakota County Assessor. Following the Assessment Hearing, property owners have up to 30 days to pay off their entire assessment. If the assessment isn’t paid after 30 days, it will be added as a special assessment line item to your property tax statement, and must be paid off over time in accordance with the following:

Assessments paid off through property tax statements are subject to interest over the period of the payoff. The assessment can be paid off early, but the property owner must work through Dakota County to do this. The City of Burnsville only accepts assessment payments for the entire amount during the first 30 days after the assessment hearing as described earlier in this section.

The City of Burnsville is committed to completing design work for annual street reconstruction and rehabilitation projects, and receiving bids for the work in April of each year. Historically, projects bid during the late winter and early spring have provided for lower costs and greater flexibility in construction, and ensure that construction work is completed during the summer months. To achieve this goal, preliminary design generally occurs during the previous summer and fall, with final design being completed by early March. 2017 Street Project Schedule

The City of Burnsville and its contractor WILL NOT be providing quotes to replace driveways as part of its construction projects. Property owners who wish to have their driveways replaced are encouraged to wait until the street is paved to perform this work. In certain instances, property owners who wish to have their own contractor replace their driveway can sign a waiver whereby the City will not reinstall concrete aprons or asphalt patches that are disturbed as part of street work, and the property owner agrees to restore the driveway within a specified time period. Once construction begins, residents are encouraged to contact their construction inspector to discuss options.

It is common in street reconstruction areas for independent contractors and companies to solicit their services, either through door-to-door or mail marketing. These services may be of any type, but the most common services are for driveway replacement, landscape work, and sewer and water repair services. The City of Burnsville DOES NOT solicit any of these commercial services to residents. If residents are interested in any solicited service, they are encouraged to verify a contractor’s licensing and registration status with the State of Minnesota by visiting the Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry website. Additional information regarding door-to-door solicitation rules for the City of Burnsville are available by entering the search term “solicitor” at www.burnsville.org.